246 WANDERINGS IN 



Fourth placid features, seem to beckon to me, and say, as it 



Journey. 



were, " Speak but civilly to me, and I will do what I can 



for you." Such a face as this is worth more than a 

 dozen letters of introduction ; and such a face, gentle 

 reader, I found on board the steam-boat from New York 

 to the city of Albany. 



There was a great number of well-dressed ladies and 

 gentlemen in the vessel, all entire strangers to me. 

 I fancied I could see several, whose countenances invited 

 an unknown wanderer to come and take a seat beside 

 them ; but there was one who encouraged me more than 

 the rest. I saw clearly that he was an American, and 

 I judged, by his manners and appearance, that he had 

 not spent all his time upon his native soil. I was right 

 in this conjecture, for he afterwards told me that he had 

 been in France and England. I saluted him as one 

 stranger gentleman ought to salute another when he 

 wants a little information ; and soon after, I dropped in 

 a word or two by which he might conjecture that I was a 

 foreigner ; but I did not tell him so ; I wished him to 

 make the discovery himself. 



He entered into conversation with the openness and 

 candour which is so remarkable in the American ; and in 

 a little time observed that he presumed I was from the 

 old country. I told him that I was, and added, that I 

 was an entire stranger on board. I saw his eye brighten 

 up at the prospect he had of doing a fellow- creature a 



